A mere couple of blogs ago, I shared my concern, based on excellent McKnight’s reportage, that seniors are becoming just as addicted to their devices as young people. That seemed shocking, given our...
Stop thinking — and eat a mango
By
Gary Tetz
May 22, 2014
Everyone struggles with who they are and their purpose in life. Whatever you do — whether you’re a long-term care administrator, director of nursing, med aide or maintenance associate — you’re...
Give all your cares to Bob
By
Gary Tetz
Dec 29, 2016
So here we are at the end of 2016. It’s been kind of a brutal year — globally, nationally, personally, even as a long-term care profession. Lots of loss, much uncertainty and fear, many reasons...
Five-Star profanity
By
Gary Tetz
Nov 19, 2015
“Well, gosh. Just my luck.” I don’t know for certain that’s how the Pennsylvania nursing home housekeeper responded after being fired for using bad language at work. But regardless,...
Lord of the Rings
By
Gary Tetz
Mar 04, 2021
After mocking wearers of Apple watches not so long ago, citing an annoying interaction that took place in a nursing home lobby, I finally got one myself. I realize this makes me a hypocrite, and I’m...
The high cost of Winning!
By
Gary Tetz
Feb 11, 2016
Powerball is one of the great tests of work-based friendship in long-term care.Those 13 California nursing home nurses who came within one number of winning the whole $1.5 billion lottery are almost certainly...
On Prancer, on Crasher …
By
Gary Tetz
Dec 22, 2022
At this festive time of year, it’s all-too-easy to be charmed and delighted by visions of reindeer leaping from rooftops and scampering across the sky. But before we let such images cloud our judgment,...
My high-sodium epiphany
By
Gary Tetz
Jun 27, 2019
In long-term care, we deal with the unexpected all the time. Many of the people we serve are there because something unanticipated happened, crashing into their lives like a no-warning tsunami — or a...
In love we trust
By
Gary Tetz
Mar 24, 2016
Selfless couples prove, beyond all reasonable doubt, that there’s still something alive on this planet that warrants our unreserved trust, intention and devotion.
Cue the banjo player (you won’t regret it)
By
Gary Tetz
Jul 28, 2016
So anyway, speaking of aging, I got to spend Sunday evening with a delightful old guy named Steve — a spry, perfectly adorable gentleman with a Mike Pence hairdo who plays the banjo and seems to have...